It is September and tomato gardens are going nuts. They love the warm days and cool nights, and they taste amazing right now.
But what to do with them all? Today I’ll share my favorite way to make homemade tomato paste. It is SO good!
Wash and halve the tomatoes. Pictured is 3 1/2 lb. cherry tomatoes.
Drizzle with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and sugar.
You can thank me later. 😉
Now slow roast them in the oven at 325° for a couple hours. Blend and Voila! They’re even good just eaten right off the pan like sun dried tomatoes.
Homemade Tomato Paste
- 3-4 pounds tomatoes (great way to use up cherry tomatoes)
- 5 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 3 tsp sugar
Preheat oven to 325°. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Wash and halve your tomatoes and place them cut side up on the pan. Drizzle with 4 Tbsp. olive oil, and then sprinkle on the rest of the ingredients. Last, Drizzle remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil over the garlic to keep it from burning. Place in the oven and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours. Longer if you’re using bigger tomatoes. They will release a lot of juices at first, but once the juices have dried they are done.
Remove and let them cool on the pan, and then transfer tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, then scoop tomato paste into snack zip top bags 4 Tbsp. at a time (4oz.). Seal and freeze for later use. I like to put all of the little bags into a gallon sized freezer bag.
This tomato paste makes delicious pizza sauce as is. Just thaw and spread it in the unbaked pizza crust. Add it to soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, and sloppy joes. It is so flavorful and just adds that little extra layer of flavor.